This invention relates in general to an improved auto rack railroad car panel bumper guard, and more particularly to an improved auto rack panel bumper guard which is adapted to be mounted on a sidewall panel of an auto rack railroad car to prevent vehicle doors from contacting the sidewall panel and thus prevent damage to the vehicles doors.
The railroad industry employs a variety of railroad cars for transporting products including vehicles such as automobiles and trucks. Auto rack railroad cars transport newly manufactured vehicles, including automobiles, vans and trucks. Auto rack railroad cars, known in the railroad industry as auto rack cars, often travel thousands of miles through varying terrain. The typical auto rack car is compartmented, having two or three floors or decks, two sidewalls, a pair of doors at each end, and a roof. The sidewalls are constructed of numerous sidewall panels made of galvanized steel which are attached between vertical posts that are spaced evenly throughout the length of the auto rack car. On many cars, these sidewall panels are installed with: gaps between the vertically adjacent sidewall panels, gaps between the vertical posts and the sidewall panels, gaps between the roof and the sidewall panels, and gaps between the floor and the sidewall panels.
One problem with auto rack cars is the damage to newly manufactured vehicle doors which often occurs in the auto rack cars. Newly manufactured vehicles are loaded into the auto rack car by a person who drives the vehicle into the auto rack car. After correctly positioning the vehicle, the person must open the vehicle door to exit the vehicle. When the vehicle door is opened, the door can contact with the sidewall panels and/or the roof because there is only a limited amount of space between the vehicle and the sidewalls on any level or the vehicle and roof on the upper level of the auto rack car. This metal-to-metal contact can and often does scratch, dent and otherwise damage the finish of the door of the newly manufactured vehicle.
One method which has been used to solve the door damage problem is the application of mastic-backed tape over the sidewall panel as a guard for the vehicle doors. This method has been unsuccessful for several reasons. First, the surfaces of the sidewall panel which contact the adhesive side of the tape must be specially cleaned before the tape is applied. Otherwise, the tape will not properly adhere to the panels. Second, the extreme changes in temperature and the constant abuse from the sun and other elements of nature cause the tape to deteriorate and peel away. Third, the tape can be used only one time. Fourth, and finally, because the sidewall panels are taken off the auto rack car approximately every eight years to be regalvanized, the tape and any adhesive left on the panels must be completely removed. The tape and adhesive must be scraped off and/or removed by a special solvent. This removal process is difficult, costly and time-consuming. Therefore, the application of tape to protect the vehicle doors does not solve the problem. Certain such tapes may also be hazardous wastes.
Another method which has been used to prevent the vehicle doors from contacting the sidewall panels is to horizontally stretch a nylon belt across the sidewall panels and attach the ends of the belts to each end of the auto rack cars, approximately eighty feet apart. However, this method has been unsuccessful even with the addition of guides which are glued or welded to the vertical posts. The stretching of nylon belts between the two ends of the auto rack cars causes the belt to lose tension. This loss in tension causes the nylon belt to sag. When the nylon belt sags, it does not prevent the vehicle door from contacting the sidewall panels. To solve this problem, the nylon belt has to be constantly retensioned by ratchet tightening at one end of the auto rack car. Eventually, the nylon belts become completely stretched out and must be replaced. Accordingly, this method does not solve the problem.
A further method which has been used to prevent the vehicle doors from contacting the sidewall panels is to horizontally strap a rubber hose across the length of the auto rack car. However, this method has been unsuccessful because the rubber hose sags, because the straps holding the rubber hose often break, and because the hose does not sufficiently cover the sidewall panels. Thus, this method also fails to solve the problem.
Other methods such as attaching large rubber mats to the sidewall panels and coating the sidewall panels with a thin layer of spray-on foam have similarly failed to provide adequate protection for the newly manufactured vehicle doors.
Other apparatus which has been successful in preventing the vehicle door from contacting the sidewall panels is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,933. U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,933 disclosed a bumper guard which is a single piece of plastic, such as vinyl or polyethylene, or other suitable material which is extruded into a preformed shape. The bumper guard includes a mounting base which has slots for the insertion of a fastener for attachment to the sidewall panel, and a bumper extending from the mounting base which prevents the vehicle door from contacting the sidewall panels. Numerous types of fasteners can be inserted in the slots of the mounting base and through the sidewall panel holes, thereby securing the bumper guard to the sidewall panel. Other similar types of devices have also been developed. One problem with the bumper guard disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,933 is that in high or extreme heat (i.e., such as above 90 degrees Fahrenheit), when the vehicle door contacts the bumper, the bumper tends to bend toward the mounting base or sidewall panel due to the fact that the plastic material tends to soften at higher temperatures, and in some instances allows the vehicle door to contact the sidewall panel. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved auto rack sidewall panel bumper guard.
The present invention solves the above problem by providing an improved auto rack sidewall panel bumper guard for auto rack railroad cars which eliminates contact between the vehicle door and the sidewall panel even in extreme heat. The improved bumper guard of the present invention generally includes a pair of opposed mounting bases, a pair of extension arms connected to the mounting bases and a contact member connected to the arms opposite the mounting bases. The contact member has a lesser thickness than the arms to absorb the forces of the vehicle doors which engage the contact member.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved auto rack railroad car sidewall panel bumper guard.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.